European Union (WFAC)

The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 26 member states that are located primarily in Europe. Its members have a combined area of 4,233,262 km² (1,634,472 sq mi) and an estimated total population of about 447 million. The EU has developed an internal single market through a standardised system of laws that apply in all member states in those matters, and only those matters, where members have agreed to act as one. EU policies aim to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services and capital within the internal market; enact legislation in justice and home affairs; and maintain common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries and regional development. Passport controls have been abolished for travel within the Schengen Area. A monetary union was established in 1999, coming into full force in 2002, and is composed of 19 EU member states which use the euro currency. The EU has often been described as a sui generis political entity (without precedent or comparison).

The EU and European citizenship were established when the Maastricht Treaty came into force in 1993. The EU traces its origins to the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the European Economic Community (EEC), established, respectively, by the 1951 Treaty of Paris and 1957 Treaty of Rome. The original members of what came to be known as the European Communities were the Inner Six: Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany. The Communities and their successors have grown in size by the accession of new member states and in power by the addition of policy areas to their remit. The latest major amendment to the constitutional basis of the EU, the Treaty of Lisbon, came into force in 2009.

Containing some ____% of the world population in 2020, the EU had generated a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of around US$_____ trillion in 2019, constituting approximately _____% of global nominal GDP. Additionally, all EU countries have a very high Human Development Index according to the United Nations Development Programme. In 2012, the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Through the Common Foreign and Security Policy, the union has developed a role in external relations and defence. It maintains permanent diplomatic missions throughout the world and represents itself at the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the G7 and the G20. Due to its global influence, the European Union has been described by some scholars as an emerging superpower.

Member states

Through successive enlargements, the European Union has grown from the six founding states (Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands) to the current __. Countries accede to the union by becoming party to the founding treaties, thereby subjecting themselves to the privileges and obligations of EU membership. This entails a partial delegation of sovereignty to the institutions in return for representation within those institutions, a practice often referred to as "pooling of sovereignty".

To become a member, a country must meet the Copenhagen criteria, defined at the 1993 meeting of the European Council in Copenhagen. These require a stable democracy that respects human rights and the rule of law; a functioning market economy; and the acceptance of the obligations of membership, including EU law. Evaluation of a country's fulfilment of the criteria is the responsibility of the European Council. Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty provides the basis for a member to leave the Union. One territory have left the Union: Greenland (an autonomous province of Denmark) withdrew in 1985.

There are six countries that are recognised as candidates for membership: Albania, Iceland, and Turkey, though Iceland suspended negotiations in 2013. The four countries forming the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) are not EU members, but have partly committed to the EU's economy and regulations: Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, which are a part of the single market through the European Economic Area, and Switzerland, which has similar ties through bilateral treaties. The relationships of the European microstates, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City include the use of the euro and other areas of co-operation.

List of member states

State	Capital	Accession	Population (2019)	Area	Population density	Currency	MEPs	Head of State	Head of Government
Austria	Vienna	199501011 January 1995	8,858,775	7010838550000000000♠83,855 km2 (32,377 sq mi)	7002106000000000000♠106/km2 (270/sq mi)	Euro	18	Alexander Van der Bellen	Sebastian Kurz
Belgium	Brussels	19570325Founder	11,467,923	7010305280000000000♠30,528 km2 (11,787 sq mi)	7002376000000000000♠376/km2 (970/sq mi)	Euro	21	Philippe	Alexander De Croo
Bulgaria	Sofia	200701011 January 2007	7,000,039	7011110994000000000♠110,994 km2 (42,855 sq mi)	7001630000000000000♠63/km2 (160/sq mi)	Bulgarian lev	17	Rumen Radev	Boyko Borisov
Cyprus	Nicosia	200405011 May 2004	875,898	7009925100000000000♠9,251 km2 (3,572 sq mi)	7001950000000000000♠95/km2 (250/sq mi)	Euro	6	Nicos Anastasiades
Czechoslovakia	Prague	200405011 January 1995	10,649,800	7010788660000000000♠78,866 km2 (30,450 sq mi)	7002135000000000000♠135/km2 (350/sq mi)	Czechoslovak koruna	26	Zuzana Čaputová	Robert Fico
Denmark	Copenhagen	197301011 January 1973	5,806,081	7010430750000000000♠43,075 km2 (16,631 sq mi)	7002135000000000000♠135/km2 (350/sq mi)	Danish krone	13	Margrethe II	Mette Frederiksen
Estonia	Tallinn	200405011 May 2004	1,324,820	7010452270000000000♠45,227 km2 (17,462 sq mi)	7001290000000000000♠29/km2 (75/sq mi)	Euro	6	Kersti Kaljulaid	Jüri Ratas
Finland	Helsinki	199501011 January 1995	5,730,772	7011349889000000000♠349,889 km2 (135,093 sq mi)	7001160000000000000♠16/km2 (41/sq mi)	Euro	13	Sauli Niinistö	Sanna Marin
France	Paris	19570325Founder	67,028,048	7011640679000000000♠640,679 km2 (247,368 sq mi)	7002105000000000000♠105/km2 (270/sq mi)	Euro	74	Emmanuel Macron	Jean Castex
Template:Country data Germany Germany	Berlin	19570325Founder	86,573,684	7011425019000000000♠425,019 km2 (164,101 sq mi)	7002204000000000000♠204/km2 (530/sq mi)	Euro	96	Frank-Walter Steinmeier	Angela Merkel
Greece	Athens	198101011 January 1981	10722287	7011131990000000000♠131,990 km2 (50,960 sq mi)	7001810000000000000♠81/km2 (210/sq mi)	Euro	21	Katerina Sakellaropoulou	Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Hungary	Budapest	200401011 May 2004	9,797,561	7010930300000000000♠93,030 km2 (35,920 sq mi)	7002105000000000000♠105/km2 (270/sq mi)	Hungarian forint	21	János Áder	Viktor Orbán
Ireland	Dublin	197301011 January 1973	4,904,226	7010702730000000000♠70,273 km2 (27,133 sq mi)	7001700000000000000♠70/km2 (180/sq mi)	Euro	11	Michael D. Higgins	Micheál Martin
Italy	Rome	19570325Founder	60359546	7011301338000000000♠301,338 km2 (116,347 sq mi)	7002200000000000000♠200/km2 (520/sq mi)	Euro	73	Sergio Mattarella	Matteo Renzi
Latvia	Riga	200405011 May 2004	1,919,968	7010645890000000000♠64,589 km2 (24,938 sq mi)	7001300000000000000♠30/km2 (78/sq mi)	Euro	8	Egils Levits	Krišjānis Kariņš
Lithuania	Vilnius	200405011 May 2004	2,794,184	7010652000000000000♠65,200 km2 (25,200 sq mi)	7001430000000000000♠43/km2 (110/sq mi)	Euro	11	Gitanas Nausėda	Ingrida Šimonytė
Luxembourg	Luxembourg City	19570325Founder	613,894	7009258600000000000♠2,586 km2 (998 sq mi)	7002237000000000000♠237/km2 (610/sq mi)	Euro	6	Henri	Xavier Bettel
Malta	Valletta	200405011 May 2004	493,559	7008316000000000000♠316 km2 (122 sq mi)	7003156200000000000♠1,562/km2 (4,050/sq mi)	Euro	6	George Vella	Robert Abela
Netherlands	Amsterdam	19570325Founder	17,282,163	7010415430000000000♠41,543 km2 (16,040 sq mi)	7002416000000000000♠416/km2 (1,080/sq mi)	Euro	26	Willem-Alexander	Mark Rutte
Poland	Warsaw	200405011 May 2004	34,972,812	7011264932000000000♠264,932 km2 (102,291 sq mi)	7002132000000000000♠132/km2 (340/sq mi)	Polish złoty	46	Andrzej Duda	Jarosław Kaczyński
Portugal	Lisbon	198601011 January 1986	10,276,617	7010923900000000000♠92,390 km2 (35,670 sq mi)	7002111000000000000♠111/km2 (290/sq mi)	Euro	21	Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa	António Costa
Romania	Bucharest	200701011 January 2007	21,958,422	7011268080000000000♠268,080 km2 (103,510 sq mi)	7001820000000000000♠82/km2 (210/sq mi)	Romanian leu	32	Klaus Iohannis	Florin Cîțu
Spain	Madrid	198601011 January 1986	46,934,632	7011504030000000000♠504,030 km2 (194,610 sq mi)	7001930000000000000♠93/km2 (240/sq mi)	Euro	54	Felipe VI	Pedro Sánchez
Sweden	Stockholm	199501011 January 1995	10,230,185	7011449964000000000♠449,964 km2 (173,732 sq mi)	7001230000000000000♠23/km2 (60/sq mi)	Swedish kronor	20	Carl XVI Gustaf	Stefan Löfven
United Kingdom	London	197301011 January 1973	67,886,004	7011242495000000000♠242,495 km2 (93,628 sq mi)	7002280000000000000♠280/km2 (730/sq mi)	Pound sterling	73	Elizabeth II	David Cameron
Yugoslavia	Belgrade	199501011 January 2007	10,230,185	7011449964000000000♠449,964 km2 (173,732 sq mi)	7001230000000000000♠23/km2 (60/sq mi)	Yugoslav dinar	32	Aleksandar Vučić	Ana Brnabić
26 total				7012423326200000000♠4,233,262 km2 (1,634,472 sq mi)	7002106000000000000♠106/km2 (270/sq mi)		751